1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to systems and methods for characterizing television preferences over a computer network. More specifically, the invention relates to characterizing television preferences over the Internet using a wireless device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication devices are fast becoming the communications media of choice for transporting data, and communicating data between users of the devices. Many types of wireless devices are currently being used such as cellular phones, wireless telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers and other devices with small displays which display text and icons to users of the devices. The strong push in current wireless technology development is to use wireless devices for varied applications and which allow users of such devices to seamlessly integrate events and needs in their lives while maintaining adequate communication power to receive and transmit all of the data and information which has an impact on them.
The Internet has also fast become the communications medium of choice for transporting many forms of data, including wireless data, throughout the world. Due to its far-reaching connectivity, the Internet is particularly well-suited to transport an individual's data concerning personal preferences for parameters associated with different systems. In particular, most people have particular preferences for television programming, advertising and other content. There does not exist today a system or method for setting such preferences with a wireless device through the Internet. Such systems and methods would greatly simplify and enhance a user's television viewing habits and make it extremely easy for such habits to be influenced, categorized and exploited by advertisers or other purveyors of television information.
There thus exists a need for methods and systems for characterizing television information related to a user's preferences for programming, advertising and other content. Such systems and methods should be seamlessly integrable with the Internet and usable with existing wireless devices. Moreover, information generated by setting television preferences should be formatted so it can be made available to advertisers, programmers and other providers of television content.